Two men who left a taxi driver with a fractured eye after buying drugs on Christmas night have been jailed at Liverpool Crown Court.

The pair inflicted the brutal assault in the early hours of Boxing Day, with Hickman starting the fight, encouraging Hawes to join in by shouting "Kill the P***."

The court heard how Liam Hawes, 21, of Moreton Road, Upton and David Hickman, 28, of Birnam Road, Poulton, left a home in Litcham Close, Upton on Christmas night and journeyed in a taxi to Rice Lane in Wallasey.

Once the pair arrived at the road, Hawes left the taxi and met a man on a bike, and bought drugs from him, while Hickman stayed in the taxi.

Following the drug deal, the pair wanted to return to the home in Upton, but the taxi driver refused, because they didn't have enough money for the fare.

Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, said: "The defendants offered their phones as payment, but the taxi driver refused and they became aggresive.

"The pair got very agitated and the victim felt scared because it was a quiet road and there were not many people out.

"The driver phoned the police and the pair left the taxi but left the passenger doors open.

"As the driver got out to close them he was attacked by Hickman."

The victim described how he felt blows to his nose, face and eyes, with Hawes eventually joining in and punching him continually in the face.

The assault finally ended when the taxi driver managed to sound his car horn, with the pair running off as the police and ambulance service arrived.

As paramedics assessed the victim's injuries he discovered that around £180 was missing from his money belt - with the defendants stealing it, while he was incapacipated.

The driver sustained a "blow-out" fracture to his right eye socket and cheek and is still continuing to receive medical treatment for his injury.

In a moving victim impact statement the driver revealed he had always been hard working since arriving in the UK from Bangladesh in 1990.

Having worked in a shop, owned a takeaway and as a taxi driver, the victim said he had "tried my best to adapt to British culture."

Following the attack he was forced to quit his job as a taxi driver immediately and still had flashbacks to the night, with no confidence left.

Anna Duke, defending Hickman said that although her client had a long history of offending, he had made efforts to get his life back on track as he had started to have regular contact with his children, had lost his sister and found Christmas a difficult time of year.

Ben Morris, defending Hawes said: "This was completely out of character for this young man and he is filled with remorse. He has no idea why he did what he did that night."

As the pair were being sentenced by Judge Neil Flewitt QC there were loud sobs from the public gallery.

In respect of Hickman, Judge Flewitt accepted he started the assault and uttered the racially abusive words.

Sentencing him to four years imprisonment he said: "There can only be a custodial sentence you will serve half of this in prison and half on license."

Hawes was described by the judge as "genuinely remorseful and a decent person, that could be rehabilitated. "

Sentencing him to 12 months imprisonment he said: "I regret to conclude that I have to impose an immediate custodial sentence, as to not would send a wrong message to all those who work alone and at night. The sentence is low so you can put this behind you and move on with your life."